MISCHELLANY

well this must be a first
your fave blogger up before eight am every single day this week
and with the excepion of ski-trip day
up n at 'em by six thirty
something of a turnaround since the lazy lions
of the christmas holidays
as a modus operandi there are several advantages
the sense of possibility as the new day dawns
a quiet house with no distractions
perfect for thinking...meditating...writing
painting...recording (except for noisy acoustic stuff)
the opportunity to excavate the deep mines of sleep
mental down-time which has refreshed the brain
cleared the mind of irrelevant chaff
the chance to attack the day artistically
then mentally sit back and relax without agitation
so if you are anything like i was a month ago
(a frustrated night owl parent with no personal space)
and you haven't tried this method
i strongly recommend it
just start by setting your alarm clock half an hour early each day
you may be surprised what you can achieve...

amazing tool, the internet
when i was a kid
my dad bought me and my brother a set of children's britannica encyclopedias
each one attractively bound in a bright red cover
with a thistle motif embossed in gold leaf
which shouted out 'knowledge and learning' in a loud voice
i think he got them cheap
and by the time i started reading them
they were already a few years out of date
'this edition 1975'
later, well into adulthood
every time i was back at my parents' place
i would consult these tomes
when a topic or person i was completely ignorant about came up
'the people's republic of china' or 'tchaikovsky' or 'ground nuts'
but the children's britanicca ain't got nothing on the internet
yesterday morning the song 'shakin' all over' kept playing in my head
except, reflecting my battered body
the lyrics transmuted into 'achin' all over'
the version i know of this is from the who's 'live at leeds 1970'
where they also play eddie cochrane's 'summertime blues'
i am intrigued by this
is 'achin' all over' by eddie cochrane too?
so i do a search for the song on wikipedia
and strangely nothing comes up
so i try a search for eddie
and discover how to spell his name properly
(there ain't no 'e' on the end of 'cochran')
and that he was killed in a car crash in england
(in wiltshire of all places!)
not a plane crash in the states
(that was buddy holly, ritchie valens and the big bopper)
(ok, i'll cut the brackets)
'summertime blues', 'somethin' else'
but not the song i am looking for
so finally i bring up the who and 'live at leeds'
and realise that i have subconsciously bastardised the title
which was actually penned by a fella called frederick heath
who goes by the somewhat hipper stage name of johnny kidd
as in johnny kidd and the pirates
amazing tool, the internet
is it helping our kids to multiply their knowledge
in a way that we could only dream of?
or is it just another form of manipulation and propaganda...?

last night j and i catch a taxi
over to a dinner party some friends are having
we follow an enormous spectacular full moon
hovering low above the horizon
seemingly about to bounce on the suburbs of western seoul
and crush half a million people like tiny ants
(i didn't see any news reports on the internet this morning, however
so i guess this didn't actually happen)
then we get embroiled in maps n directions
landmarks n wrong turnings
and we sadly forget the beautiful moon for the rest of the night
at the party i drink booze
for the first time since tie-land three weeks ago
and in no time i am swigging it down like a pirate (or johnny kidd)
porto fino...red wine...whiskey
all flow smoothly down the gullet
i don't blame my gracious hosts
free-flowing booze is de rigeur at a party, is it not?
but i have been wondering
what it is exactly that the demon drink does for me
and why, given the opportunity
i will gladly gulp it down like there is no tomorrow...
ED:
so do you like the taste of it?
FIRESEED:
yeah, except for fizzy lager
ED:
does it relax you?
FIRESEED:
nope - i was already relaxed after my afternoon walk
ED:
and does it cheer you up?
FIRESEED:
actually, quite the opposite
it usually makes me feel melancholy and morose
ED:
hmmmm...
so does it clarify your thoughts
or offer you any special metaphysical insights?
FIRESEED:
no, it addles my brain
impairs my speech
sends me to the toilet a lot
makes me stagger about
and sends me to sleep...
and it never ever puts me in touch with my muse
ED:
erm, right...
so why do you drink the stuff then?
FIRESEED:
well, actually, i've been trying not to
i've been on the wagon for the last three weeks...
force of habit?
don't look free booze in the mouth?
ED:
i will never work you out, fireseed my dear boy!